He graced the skies of South Bend for nearly a decade, but now Zephyr the falcon has passed away.
He was found on the ground yesterday with a bloody beak and later died at a local animal clinic.
A licensed raptor rehabilitator Carole Riewe, who has been involved with Zephr and his mate, Guinevere, since they first came here, says she thinks he slammed into a pole while hunting a dove.
“This is their tenth year nesting here. They have raised ten broods of chicks. It was one of these flukey things, said Riewe. “It happens to raptors. He wasn't the first and he won't be the last. In fact, there are falconers who have lost birds the same way.
Riewe says she thinks Guinevere will stay in South Bend.
As for whether she will find another mate, she says a lot of falcons will be migrating through the city, so she just might.
